Ron Clarke was one of the most famous athletes of the 1960s. Throughout his career, he broke 18 long-distance records.However, his Olympic games record is not quite so impressive, with the exception of one bronze medal for the 5000 m at the 1960 Rome games. As a very young athlete, he was selected to light the Olympic flame at Melbourne's Cricket ground for the 1956 games. He somehow managed to bungle this task by slightly burning his arm in the process.